Note concerning the Botswana & Dakar stations.
Contributed by Ben Gallup.



Botswana and Dakar


Earlier this year there was an exchange of messages and information prompted
by a query from Dr. Frank Eckardt of the University of Botswana. In the
course of these exchanges selected information from NASA was provided to him.
The "official" history states that the tracking stations in Botswana and
Dakar supported Space Shuttle missions beginning with STS-3. This is also
repeated in the BFEC Homepage history under Tracking Stations, STDN's Final
Years, 1979 - 1988. That statement, of course, is not accurate. An
air-to-ground voice capability was added at existing commercial earth
stations in both locations for Shuttle missions beginning with STS-1,
launched on April 12th, 1981. I believe the same capability was installed in
Yaragadee, Australia for the same purpose.
I was personally present in Dakar for the STS-1 support. I traveled from
Dakar to Botswana ten days later.

I can assure the historians that we did in fact have live Bendix employees in
both Botswana and Dakar for STS-1 and STS-2. Elmer Vogt, Ted Tadei and, I
think, Jim Martin were in Dakar. Francis Bowen, Jay Harper, and Ted Garrison
were in Botswana. Jay Harper recalls that the Botswana equipment was operated
by local people in support of STS-3. I believe it was Dave Huff who led the
installation effort in both locations. I have no verifiable information
beyond that. Dakar of course went on to be upgraded to provide more than
air-ground communications support for subsequent Shuttle missions.

I will make no attempt to correct the NASA history, although it seems a shame
to have it flawed. It just thought it would be nice to record someplace that
Bendix field engineers were indeed present in Botswana and Dakar supporting
the initial Shuttle missions. The BFEC Homepage seems a good place to record
it. Perhaps you will consider adding this to the record.

Thanks very much.
/Ben Gallup

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